There was a crack as a short fat figure appeared in the gilded expanse of the enormous hall.
"Xerxes! My old friend. I'm glad to see you again." The man's honeyed voice dripped overly sweet as he glided our way.
"Care to place a bet Xenix?" The taller hooded figure asked of our newly arrived companion, ignoring the fat man's greeting without so much as looking up from the board in front of him. Of all the figures in the room Xerxes alone did not have his hood pulled up so far as to obscure the entirety of his face. Only a dark mouth was visible against bone white skin below the shadow line of his cowl. Black ink dripped from the man's thin and wiry lips like oily tar.
Of those present, the newly arrived Xenix was the shortest. Short and immensely rotund he was enveloped by his voluminous black robes, that, despite their size, bulged disgustingly in places around him. Although his immense weight looked as though it might slow him down, this Xenix moved as though he weighed no more than a small cat. I noted how his footsteps left barely an audible tap as he crossed the enormous black and gold marbled floor.
Xerxes, the figure who had spoken, was by contrast excessively skinny and tall. He towered lankily above the other two robed figures with ease.
Xenix squealed in delight at the prospect of wagering. "On what? What fresh juicy news emerges from the world below?" He queried giddily in his high pitched perfumed voice.
The third figure, who's name I knew to be Xander, was tall also… by normal standards… but didn't look as gangly as the companion who sat opposite him. His defining feature was a set of immense leathery wings that protruded from the back of his equally fuliginous robes.
"We aren't supposed to bet… you both know this." Xander responded without intonation, continuing to evaluate the scene in front of him. The moment his wings extended slightly, the fat one froze momentarily in place. Whether Xander was satisfied at having momentarily startled his companion… I could not tell.
"The Black Dragon and the Feathered Witch have pledged themselves to the Peverell princeling. As has the pureblood Raven. The boy has three new generals at his side now." Xander added, moving the carved glass figures across an immense gold and crystal board. The figures his hand had displaced resembled caricatures of the Yaga witch Niime, the dragon Ancalagon and the pureblood heir to house Greengrass.
"Oh poo! That's no fun! I've been betting against the Peverells for centuries. Now they seem to be getting stronger by the decade." Xenix muttered waiving his ornate golden pipe in his hand. Purple smoke billowed from the bowl at its end when he brought the pipe back to his lips to drag greedily on its tip. A sickly sweet scent filled the room as he exhaled.
"Where are the others? The roster is still in flux." Xerxes asked of his fat companion with a disinterested lolling tone of voice, he and Xander refused both to look up from the strange chess board.
"Lilix and Zax are in France calculating the VY frequency. Raxus is now in Japan and Max should be returning from England. Those are the only members whose whereabouts I know of." The fat one answered, walking over to a golden tray of spirits to pour himself a generous glass of whatever amber substance resided within."Who's turn is it now then?" he added, grabbing a pastry from an impossibly high tower of gold covered edible delights. His pudgy fingers danced delicately in the air before he selected a second treat for good measure.
"Our newest member must emerge from the sanctuary… and I must be his guide… unfortunately…" The lazy Xerxes answered, rising slowly from his chair to tower at close to seven feet tall. "Wolfrix shall we depart?"
At that I stepped forth form the shadows of the large chamber. My face was as obscured as each of the other enigmatic figures present, except for a long white beard that tumbled proudly to my waistline. "Is it time again for me already?"
"Remember Wolfrix… you are not a mortal anymore… you aren't to… interfere… especially not in events that you had such a recent hand in shaping…. That you were invited to join our ranks… is a great honor. Few have joined us here in… oh… hundreds of years." Xerxes paused often as he spoke, his lazy tone lilting as though he were in a daze. I watched his jet black inked lips move hypnotically as the words left them. There was magic there I was certain of it. A pitch black mouth spewing poisoned words.
"I never sought this power. It was you who all decided I would be suited to it. I will endeavor not to meddle if that is truly our mandate. Of this I promise" I responded, popping a jelly bean into my mouth from another tray at the opposite end of the room. "Ah, raspberry. You know, I've always loved raspberry." I added as if speaking to myself. I didn't dare interfere with the politics of this place. I was too newly inducted to know any of the intricate nuances governing what the other members called the sanctuary.
"Then it is agreed. Xerxes and Wolfrix will depart, Xenix and I will watch the board and guard the sanctuary." Xander finished formally, pointing a finger at an intricate clock like mechanism that hung from the immense wall to the left of the table. Roman numerals moved around a map of the globe at his motion.
"Oh goody then… I do so love being on duty with you… Xander. You're always so… fastidious. Number four…" There was obvious sarcasm in the man's voice.
"XENIX! Xenix where are you YOU FAT FUCK!" A woman's voice cursed angrily from across the hall. Her instantaneous appearance had barely made a sound until her footsteps reached the black and gold marble of the chamber. "You cheating slob. You came back to stuff your face again while I finished all the work! It was my turn to stand watch at the sanctuary this shift!" A black robbed woman barked as her heels clicked on the hard stone. As she entered the golden light her silhouette became visible. She bore a hood identical to her compatriots that obscured all but a cascade of lustrous blonde hair which tumbled over her shoulders in sumptuous waves. The moment she saw Xander's wings her tone and demeanor shifted.
"I have already issued our shifts Luxcilla. You may wait until the new moon has passed next to request a posting."
"But Xanderrrr…" She cooed delicately. "I really must protest. This lazy… thing… has been derelict in his duties for as long as I can remember. How can you be so lenient with such a… creature…"
Xander stopped moving the thousands of glass figures about the enormous board, frozen as though by a spell. Xerxes and Xenix both glanced in his direction at the sudden stillness. I would have paid a mountain of gold to behold the expressions beneath their cowled hoods.
"My dear Luxilla…you are number nine… Xenix… is number sixteen… his responsibilities are not so great as yours… and don't think his dereliction goes unnoticed by me…" Xander offered dangerously, glancing towards the fat man. A visible gulp could be made out as his thick neck displaced the fabric there.
"Still… number four… don't you think we could make an—"
"—Would you like me to change the roster's schedule?" Xander asked stepping forward with a hint of menace in his voice. Quiet enveloped the gilded hall as even I felt the chill which crept from his throat.
"No… no of course not. I just… expect my pick of postings next time. That was all…" she finished, retreating a pace.
"Then you have it. You and Vexus will have the sanctuary to yourselves at the next moon. Does that please you?" He asked, implying he knew what she had wished. Whether or not he did I could not discern. I had yet to meet Vexus and had only spent a few shifts with Luxcilla in my short time as a member.
Unknown POV
"Well we should be off. Xerxes and I have much to attend to." Our newest member shot, glancing towards me. I was nestled safely out of view back in the shadows but he could tell another member loomed near. How funny that we had until so recently been moving his piece around that crystal board. When finally we watched him topple not less than three of us had burst out laughing. We weren't supposed to wager on the outcome of events… but what else were we to do to pass the extraordinary span of time?
I knew at least that I did not trust the member now named Wolfrix. Not in these halls. He had too great an interest in meddling. Of that I was certain.
I watched as Luxcilla, Xerxes and Wolfrix vanished and then rose to my feet as well. I emerged from the shadows to startle the corpulent Xenix as he thought to sneak another treat while Xander's back was turned.
"I will be off then too my brothers. Until next month old friend."
"Vox, I want you to watch them. Make sure our newest addition knows his place."
At that the roman numeral V moved on the globe, assigning my posting for the month. V, VIII & XXV now all moved to the map of England.
"And you?" I inquired curiously "Out of interest where will you be after this month's assignment in the sanctuary?"
"Rex will be leaving the Master's study and I will take his place in the chapel for a cycle."
Xenix shivered slightly at the mention of the master and Rex our number I. The leader of our order was not to be trifled with. Nor the Master, who Xenix would have never had occasion to meet—having never stepped foot in the chapel of the seven. That Xander was to sit in counsel with the Master next month was an extraordinary honor for him… for the rest of us who would have to deal with Rex… it would be… a trial…
The numbers I, II, III, IV, myself… then VI and VII were the core of our Master's organization. We seven counted human centuries as but decades. Each of us could trace our recruitment back to Rome, Mesopotamia, Egypt or Greece thousands of years ago. We had ceased to age the moment the Master had recruited us. After Xenica who was our number seven, came our signoria. The members VIII-XV were the most well informed of our enforcers and none to be taken lightly. XVI-XX were starting to gain the lay of the land within the sanctuary and XX through XXV were all still relatively new by our standards and still needed to learn the intricacies of our politics. These recruits knew little of our duties to the Master. They trusted that we all shared the same mandate but in truth many mistrusted we few who had been here from the start.
I nodded towards my old friend before disappearing into the air with a whisper. I laughed thinking how bored Xenix would be sharing the gloomy Golden Halls with Xander. Serves that fat toad for trying to weasel himself into Luxcillas posting.
